Lopes shut out Highlanders in Riverside

Wednesday, March 26

Riverside, Calif.

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

24-6

UC Riverside

14-18

Grand Canyon Univ.

UC Riverside

Photo by: Braden Dohrmann

3/26/2025 7:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Full staff effort gives GCU 8th shutout of season

By: Braden Dohrmann

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Grand Canyon opened its California road trip with a 7-0 win at UC Riverside on Wednesday afternoon.

Eight hits and seven walks from the Lopes offense partnered with a four-pitcher shutout.

GCU (24-6) scored its seven runs in the middle innings from good contact ball, including four Lopes RBI singles.

GCU senior Meghan Golden began the game in the circle, tossing three shutout innings with two strikeouts. Sophomore teammate Maggie Place took the next two innings, keeping the shutout through five innings and ultimately receiving the win to move to 7-3 this season.

The Lopes grabbed their first run in the third inning, thanks to graduate right fielder Makaiya Gomez's RBI single to left field that easily scored speedy sophomore pinch-runner Haley Wolsky.

In the fourth inning, the bases were immediately loaded before UC Riverside could record an out. Freshman first baseman Jada Cooper walked, graduate left fielder Mia Weckel singled, and sophomore catcher Tinley Lucas walked as well. With one out, sophomore shortstop Mackenzie Nolan grounded a ball to second base and the Highlanders second baseman attempted to get the force out at home. The throw was wide of the of the plate and senior pinch-runner Emily Darwin slid home safely.

Two more runs came around to score from the top of the lineup. Sophomore second baseman Savannah Kirk earned an RBI groundout at leadoff and the two-hole hitter Sydney McCray, a junior center fielder, scored another with an RBI single.

The fifth inning saw three more runs for the Lopes, all coming with two outs. The inning included Weckel's third hit for her first three-hit game as a Lope.

The inning was highlighted by a Kirk RBI single to right field that scored the sixth and seventh runs. With two hits, Kirk recorded her 15th multi-hit game of the season.

The sixth and seventh innings were bookended by freshman pitcher Oakley Vickers in the sixth and junior pitcher Taryn Batterton in the seventh. Batterton struck out the final two batters of the game.

GCU continues its Riverside trip with a three-game conference series at California Baptist this weekend. The games consist of a Friday doubleheader and Saturday finale.